The rain is drumming on the window, the park is a swamp and everyone has been home for ten minutes and already announced they are bored. Don't worry. A wet afternoon is a brilliant excuse to dig out the old games that need nothing more than a pair of socks, a few cushions and a bit of imagination.
The trick is to mix things up. Start with something lively to burn off energy, then slow down with a calmer game before tea. This guide has both, plus a few house rules to keep the furniture and the grown-ups in one piece.
Let off steam without raising the roof
Children who have been sitting in a classroom all day often need to move. Clear a patch of floor, push the coffee table to the side and swap anything hard for something soft. Rolled-up socks, balloons, scrunched-up paper and soft toys make perfect indoor balls because they are far less likely to break things.
Good lively games include an obstacle course across cushions, sock basketball into a washing basket, musical statues, balloon keepy-uppy and a game of "the floor is lava" where everyone has to cross the room using only cushions and pillows.
Set a kitchen timer for each lively game; when it rings, everyone switches to a calm one.
Hide and seek, and ye shall find
Plain hide and seek is a favourite for good reason, but there are clever twists to keep it fresh. In Sardines, one person hides and everyone else searches; when you find the hider you squeeze in with them, until the last seeker finds a giggling pile of people in a wardrobe. In Hide the Teddy, one person hides a soft toy while the others wait outside, then guides the searchers with "warmer" and "colder".
Agree beforehand which rooms are in and which are out of bounds, and make sure nobody hides anywhere that could shut them in, such as a chest freezer, car boot or a cupboard that locks.
Calm down, it's only drizzle
When the energy dips, try games that need brains rather than legs. Charades is perfect for mixed ages: younger children can act out animals while older ones tackle film titles or book names. Wink Detective is a sitting-down mystery where one secret "winker" knocks players out with a wink and the detective has to spot them.
Other calm favourites include I Spy, Twenty Questions, the Sticky Note Who Am I game, card games like Snap and Pairs, and drawing games where one person describes a picture and another tries to draw it without looking.
- Charades jar: write ideas on scraps of paper in advance
- I Spy with colours for under-5s instead of letters
- Consequences: a folded-paper story where nobody sees the last line
- Pairs with a pack of cards spread face down on the floor
House rules for happy houseguests
A few ground rules mean indoor games end in laughter rather than tears. Move anything precious out of range first. Agree that games happen in one or two rooms, not the whole house. Socks on or bare feet are safer than slippery tights on wooden floors. Take turns choosing the next game, and finish with a five-minute tidy-up race so the living room looks like a living room again.
Keep a "rainy day box" with a pack of cards, a balloon, some paper and a few charades ideas, ready to grab.
Ideas to try
Cushion Obstacle Course
Build a course of cushions, chairs and blankets to crawl, hop and balance through.
You'll need: sofa cushions, pillows, a blanket, a chair, masking tape (optional)
- Clear a space and move breakables out of the way.
- Lay cushions as stepping stones and a blanket to crawl under.
- Add a line of masking tape to balance along.
- Walk through the course slowly once to check it is safe.
- Time each go and try to beat your own score.
🧑 Grown-up help needed
Sock Basketball
Score hoops with rolled-up socks and a washing basket.
You'll need: 5 to 10 pairs of rolled socks, a washing basket or bucket, masking tape
- Put the basket against a wall.
- Mark three throwing lines with tape at different distances.
- Score one point from the near line, two from the middle and three from the far line.
- Take five throws each and add up the points.
Sardines
Hide and seek turned upside down, ending with everyone squashed in one hiding spot.
You'll need: 3 or more players, a few safe hiding places
- Agree which rooms are in the game.
- One person hides while everyone else counts to fifty.
- Seekers split up and search quietly.
- When you find the hider, squeeze in with them.
- The last person to find the group hides next time.
Charades Jar
Act out animals, jobs and stories from a jar of secret ideas.
You'll need: scraps of paper, a pencil, a jar or bowl
- Write or draw ideas on paper scraps and fold them up.
- Put them in the jar.
- Take turns picking one and acting it out without talking.
- Everyone else shouts guesses.
- Whoever guesses right picks next.
Balloon Keepy-Uppy
Keep a balloon off the floor for as long as you can, using hands, heads and elbows.
You'll need: one balloon
- A grown-up blows up and ties the balloon.
- Tap it into the air and keep it up together.
- Count every tap out loud.
- Add challenges like elbows only or one hand behind your back.
- Pop and bin any burst balloon straight away.
🧑 Grown-up help needed
Musical Statues
Dance like nobody's watching, then freeze when the music stops.
You'll need: music to play, space to dance
- Choose one person to be in charge of the music.
- Everyone dances while the music plays.
- When it stops, freeze completely.
- Anyone who wobbles helps judge the next round.
- Keep going until one statue is left.
Wink Detective
A sitting-down mystery game where a secret winker knocks players out.
You'll need: 5 or more players, small paper slips, a pencil
- Mark one slip with W for winker and one with D for detective.
- Fold all the slips and let everyone pick one.
- The detective says who they are; everyone else keeps theirs secret.
- The winker winks at players, who dramatically flop over when winked at.
- The detective has three guesses to name the winker.
Sticky Note Who Am I?
Guess the animal or character stuck on your forehead with yes or no questions.
You'll need: sticky notes or paper and sellotape, a pen
- Each person secretly writes a character or animal for the person on their left.
- Stick the note on their forehead without them seeing.
- Take turns asking questions that can only be answered yes or no.
- Keep going until everyone has guessed who they are.
🧑 The grown-up bit
Clear a safe space before any lively game and move glass, lamps and anything with sharp corners. Balloons are a choking hazard for young children, so blow them up yourself, supervise under-8s and pick up burst pieces straight away. During hide and seek, rule out any space a child could get shut inside, such as chest freezers, car boots, washing machines or cupboards that lock. Watch for slippy socks on hard floors during running games.
Questions parents ask
What indoor games work for siblings of different ages?
Charades, Sardines and sock basketball all work well because you can adjust them. Let younger children act out animals or stand closer to the basket, and give older ones harder ideas or longer throws.
How do I stop indoor games getting too wild?
Alternate lively and calm games using a timer, keep games to one or two rooms and use only soft things for throwing. Ending with a calm game before tea helps everyone settle.
We live in a small flat. What can we play?
Wink Detective, Sticky Note Who Am I, charades and card games need almost no space. For movement, try musical statues or balloon keepy-uppy in a cleared corner.